EXTORTION is reported to have marked a surge not only in the capital city but also elsewhere in outlying areas with Eid-ul-Fitre only a few days away. Dhaka city police data show that 58 cases have been filed over extortion in the first 21 days of March and 42 have been arrested in the cases. The data further show that 82 suspected of being involved in 82 have been arrested in 55 cases that were filed in February. The number of cases filed over extortion in January is 90. Fifty-three cases were filed over extortion in December 2024 and 32 in November that year. Several transport owners and cloth traders say that they are increasingly falling victim to extortion. A group said to be of extortionists fired into the office of a real estate company at Mohammadpur on March 24. The owner of the company, who avoided answering repeated calls supposedly by the group after it had demanded Tk 5 million in extortion, believes that the group, enraged, fired into the company office. He says that he has never received any calls demanding such a huge amount of money.
The police report that political leaders and activists as well as crime suspects or criminals who have been at large after the political changeover that took place in August 2024 are getting involved in extortion which triggers violence at places over maintaining their stronghold. Many of the victims also subscribe to what the police say. But transport owners and cloth traders say that they are unwilling to file cases against the extortionists fearing reprisal. The police also echo what the traders and transport owners say about not filing any cases. The reality having been this, the responsibilities for such a fearful situation squarely fall on the police, who say that such extortion, mostly with no consequent cases filed by the victims, could not be contained. The city police chief says that they take action on receiving complaints or cases having been filed by the victims. The police mostly cannot stop extortion as the victims are unwilling to file cases or lodge complaints. And, the victims are unwilling to file cases or lodge complaints out of fearfulness. The police headquarters also say that the police could not take action as the victims mostly remain silent, urging the victims to file cases to help the police to take action.
All this makes a circle that the police should break first as it is the police who are, in the first, at the heart of the unwillingness of the victims to file cases. The police should, therefore, act and take the victims out of the fearfulness which holds them from filing cases or lodging complaints against extortion.
